Until I'm Home
by unoriginalfangirl
Summary: After the Ballard kidnapping Finely and Dunn are separated, but they are brought together by a new crisis.
1. Chapter 1

There are two kinds of calm, after the storm and before it. Sometimes we are so focused on the after that we can't see a new before waiting right in front of us. FBI Agent Susie Dunn is one of those people. Don't blame her; she had one hell of an after.

After for her meant waking up in the middle of the night breathing heavily with tears on her face and sweat sticking to her skin. The clock reads 4am. It was just a couple more hours of hell until she sees the comforting light of day.

This hell she lives through every night is a combination of tragedy and travesty. She sees the faces of those she saved and those she didn't. She hears the voices of the Ballard kids on repeat in her mind. Those kids blamed everyone they could for the kidnapping, including her.

Sometimes she even sees him, Finley. She hasn't seen Finley since the trials, because he went back to the Secret Service. Dunn would not deny that she felt something while working with him, whether it was love or just longing, she does not know.

Soon enough it is time to face the morning. Deep breaths and a cold shower pull her out of the night's misery then it's off to the FBI. Heels click, cellphones buzz, and badges are worn. It has been months since the kidnapping, but still nothing is the same. These walls hold secrets that no one should have to keep. Panic and fear are still the edge of all emotions, but panic and fear must wait. Now is the time for a different demon, paperwork.

Dunn is in her own world while does her paperwork. It is a boring world, but it is safe. A buzz from her cellphone pulls her back to reality.

"Susie, Amber and I would like to have you over for dinner tonight. Are you busy?" Meg was always straight to the point.

"I'd love to. See you tonight." Dunn responded.

"See you tonight." The phone beeped signaling the end of the call. Phone calls with Meg lasted thirty seconds at most. Her phone began buzzing again, which was no surprise to Susie. Meg usually called back with information that slipped her mind during the last call.

"Agent Dunn, your services are needed in Montana. All the information will be sent to your phone. You fly out tomorrow." A male voice on the other end said. He spoke so fast that Dunn almost missed the message. As soon as he was done speaking he hung up.

She immediately left her desk and headed towards the ladies restroom. Her head spun, her vision blurred, and her stomach churned. Dunn had been dreading the day that she received one of those phone calls ever since she was chosen.

After the Ballard kidnapping it was decided that the USA needed to be prepared in the event that another national crisis occurred, and the Crisis Task Force (CTF) was born. Made up of the nation's best FBI, CIA, and Homeland agents it was said to be the nation's dream team. Both Finley and Dunn were made a part of the CTF. The members were told that if another crisis occurred they would receive a call with instructions and would be expected to follow those instructions without hesitation.

Dunn assumed that what she was doing in the bathroom now counted as hesitation. After she was done she washed the taste of sickness out of her mouth and examined herself in the mirror. How could someone who looked so put together be falling apart? She shook her head sadly then made her way back out into the bullpen. She must tell Director Olsen that she has been called in by the Crisis Task Force, but for some reason she was nervous. Maybe she felt as though saying it aloud meant it was real. Maybe she worried that he had noticed her recent disposition and would not let her leave.

She cautiously entered his office. "Director Olsen, I need some time off. I received the call that we talked about."

Director Olsen swallowed hard. It was not easy for him to send Agent Dunn back into a world that she still hadn't escaped. He had seen the bottle of anti-depression pills in her desk from the psychiatrist she was no longer willing to visit. He noticed that the once fearless Agent Dunn now flinched when she heard gunfire. The bags under her eyes told him she wasn't sleeping; she was running on coffee and broken ambitions. Yet there was something in her eyes begging him to free her from this building. "Alright. I just hope you're ready for this."

"No one is ever ready for a crisis, sir."

Dinner at Meg's house is a lot quieter than usual. Tension hangs in the air like a thick morning fog. "I have something to tell you." Dunn blurts out.

"Yes?" Meg says. Both she and Amber look up from their plates. Neither of them had eaten much tonight on account of the unexplained tension.

"I got the call today." Dunn tries her hardest to keep her voice from breaking.

"Amber, your aunt and I need a moment alone." Meg gives Amber a look to let her know that she means it then turns back to her sister. "Susie what are you thinking!"

"I'm thinking that my job is to protect this country, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Be careful," whispered Meg. "I don't need to lose a sister and Amber doesn't need to lose her mother."

_Mother._ After they told Amber she refused to talk to either of them for a week. Eventually she warmed up to the idea of having two mother figures. Amber still lived with Meg and she still called Dunn "Aunt Susie" instead of mom. It wasn't much, but it was more than Dunn could've ever hoped for. "Meg, you don't need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"Fine? Your therapist said you have PTSD!"

"She's wrong which is why I stopped seeing her."

"Susie," Meg sighed and shook her head. "She's a professional. You need to stop pretending like everything's fine. It's not going to make your problems disappear, believe me."

Dunn said, "I am a professional too, and I say that I'm fine. End of discussion. Thank you for dinner but I have to get home. I have a flight to catch in the morning."

Both sisters stood up from the table. "Just be careful," Meg whispered while she hugged Susie. "Amber! Come say goodbye to your aunt."

Amber walked her aunt to the door, where they stood in silence before she finally spoke up. "Please stay safe mom. I don't want to lose you."

Dunn just nodded in response. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. This was all she ever wanted and now she was leaving it behind to chase another shadow.


	2. Chapter 2

They were headed to Montana. What kind of national crisis would be occurring in Montana? Dunn carefully read through the file given to her the night before. Some computer hackers hacked into the government's secret files and they threatened to release the nation's secrets over the internet if they weren't paid a large sum of money. Their signal had been intercepted in Montana. The whole thing seemed wrong to Dunn. When she thought the case over it just didn't make sense.

Once they arrived in Montana, the agents were taken to a motel at a remote location. The motel was now equipped with state of the art security and technology, provided by the government. The smooth screens and slick appearance of the computers greatly contrasted the motel with its splintered floors and chipping paint. Everything about this assignment felt off to Dunn, but all that was forgotten when she quite literally ran into Finley.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."

"Dunn?" Finley whispered her name.

"Finley. It's been awhile." Dunn nervously ran her fingers through her hair. She was about to ask him how he had been, but she was interrupted by one of the men that had picked them up at the airport.

"It doesn't matter who you room with. Tonight is the only night you'll be sleeping until this is solved and you are all home safely in your beds. Grab a room key and get settled. Tomorrow it starts," the man said.

"Finley, you wouldn't mind rooming with me? I don't want to get stuck with some creep." Dunn asked.

"No problem. I'll go grab the room keys." He smiled at her then went to fetch the room keys.

Dunn let out the breath that she didn't know she had held in. This way she wouldn't be forced to sleep with a stranger and she would have more time to catch up with Finley.

Just then a strange old woman sauntered over to Dunn. "The devil's comin for you, Child and he's gonna make you choose between livin and feelin alive." said the strange old woman. She wore jeans and a pale pink sweater. Her grey hair was pulled up into a ponytail but little hairs were falling out in places. Her eyes were crazed and full of fear.

"It's my understanding that he's already here." Dunn responded. "Why else would you have a motel full of government agents?"

"Ma! Please tell me you're not harassing one our guests." A younger woman charged towards them at full speed. "I'm sorry Agent. Please excuse my mother. She hasn't been stable since 2010. I'm Larissa and this is my mother Connie. We run the motel with my husband Adam."

"I was not bothering this fine young woman, Lissy. I was just tellin her 'bout the free coffee. Besides this is no way to treat your mother." Connie said. Her once crazed eyes were now filled with kindness and understanding.

"Alright ma," Larissa said before running off to help another agent.

Connie turned back to Dunn. "Don't mind my daughter. That husband of hers has her believing all sorts of nonsense. Just be careful child. Don't trust anything but your own eyes. Two of the most important things you'll ever see are the things you see when you lie awake at night and the things you see before you die. The things that haunt you keep you going and the things you love keep you from going too far."

"I'm not sure that I can trust my eyes at the moment. My mind's playing tricks on me."

"Dunn," Finley called from across the room, "I've got the room keys."

"Bye Connie. Thanks for the advice." As soon as Dunn left her side Connie moved on to the next Agent. She gave them all similar warnings, but nothing like what she had said to Dunn. Though the warning was nothing more than the ramblings of a crazy woman it still remained in the back of Dunn's mind as she slid the room key into its slot.

"There's only one bed. I'll take the couch. Couches are always terrible." Finley called from inside.

"I can sleep on the couch. I haven't been sleeping much anyways." She turned towards Finley. "Don't even try to argue with me."

"Alright, alright," Finley threw his hands up defensively.

Later that night Dunn was regretting her choice. The couch was quite possibly the world's most uncomfortable piece of furniture. Making a split second decision she climbed into bed with Finley.

"Now before you say 'I told you so' I want you to know that I admit I was wrong. The couch is terrible." Dunn whispered.

Finley only chuckled in response. He was laughing at her and at himself. He felt like a fool for feeling this way. Of course he had picked the absolute worst time to fall in love with someone.

"Oh but don't let me keep you up. I haven't been sleeping right, so it might be a while before I fall asleep."

"Then I'll stay awake with you, Dunn. Tell me how you've been."

"I've been okay. Meg has tried her hardest to keep me in her life and I appreciate that. Amber has started talking to me again. She even called me mom." Dunn turns to face Finley. Her eyes light up and a smile spread across her face. "Can you believe it? She actually called me mom!"

"I'm so happy for you." A warm feeling spreads through his chest when she smiles. "I actually haven't done much since rejoining the secret service. I don't have much time anymore." That wasn't entirely true. He was busy, but Finley could make time for a social life if he wanted to.

"That's too bad Finley." Dunn stays quiet for a minute before adding, "I missed you."

"I missed you too. Now tell me why you haven't been sleeping."

"Meg thinks it's because I have PTSD. She had me see a therapist, but I'm fine. I just need to get used to sleeping again. Meg also thinks I'm too cynical." Dunn says as she rolls her eyes.

"Why would she say that?"

"Oh something about me not believing in love and not smiling as much as a regular person."

"The thing about love strikes me as funny. I assumed you were a closet romantic." Finley joked.

Dunn scoffed. "Oh please! Romantics lie awake at night dreaming of a night with their special someone not a night where they sleep peacefully. No voices running around in their head, no sad faces, no victims," Dunn's tone changed from teasing to sad as she spoke, and her voice slowly faded to a whisper.

"Don't let it get to you. Even the strongest ones fall down sometimes and I'm here for you. You're going to get through this Dunn. I know you will."

"Thank you Finley. I think we should sleep. That man did say that 'tomorrow it starts.'" Dunn rested her head on his chest and let the steady rise and fall lull her to sleep.

The next morning however, she was as far from calm as possible. She awoke in a windowless room, completely painted white. The words 'tomorrow it starts' swirled around in her head as her heart filled with panic.


	3. Chapter 3

Meg and Amber Fitch were watching a movie on TV when suddenly the screen went white. Meg tried changing the channel but every channel seemed to be broadcasting the same thing.

"Hello America. I, along with my team, am here to tell you the truth. You are supposed to be protected by the so-called Crisis Task Force. They were called to Montana to investigate a new crisis, but the only problem here is how unprepared they are. They were drugged and taken easily and are now stored in a secret place where they will be tested. If they pass they live. If not they die." A voice on the TV said confidently and clearly.

"No no no this can't," Meg stuttered, "this can't be happening."

"Allow me to introduce you to our test subjects. Susie Dunn," the video cut to footage of Dunn searching for a way out of her cell, "an agent with the FBI, and an original member if the CTF. She's clearly not mentally capable of doing her job, but they sent her out here anyways. She's suffering from PTSD. Marcus Finley, part of the original crisis team." Again the TV cut to footage of the captive. "He's emotionally compromised. He'd put his feelings for Susie Dunn over his job."

Amber scooted closer to her mother. Her Aunt Susie, no her real mom, could die at any moment and it was being broadcasted on television.

"Marina Harvart," a short woman with long dark hair was shown passed out in her cell, "has a problem with alcohol. She's shown up to work intoxicated many times this past year. Alison Drake," this woman had piercing green eyes, short auburn hair and was crying on the floor," isn't gun-shy. She killed two innocent people on her last case."

"Mom I don't think I can watch anymore of this," Amber whispered.

Meg replied, "then go to your room. I have to make sure Susie is okay."

"Brad Winters' father bought his son's way into the CIA." Brad was a tall muscular man with sandy brown hair. "His partner Kevin Wong is the world's top computer analyst, but he was once a computer hacker." Footage of an Asian man feeling around his cell for an escape route was shown. "These agents are my test subjects and you can call me The Creator. This program will be shown on all channels always. The government can try and stop me, but they will fail. These agents' only hope is to pass the tests. It will all be over soon. The first test starts tomorrow." The Creator's voice faded from the speakers. The screen split into six sections, one for each of the agents. Their families were to watch as they sobbed and screamed for help.

"Amber! I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon." Meg grabbed her coat and rushed out the door. She sped down the road to the FBI building. Once she arrived she did her best to bypass security and march right into Director Olsen's office. "Have you turned on the TV lately?"

"Yes Mrs. Fitch and I assure you we are doing everything in our power to get your sister back."

"Well then do more. If my sister dies out there I will sue the FBI for every penny it has and then some. I'm not going to sit around while another loved one is put through hell. I will not let my sister be a part of another sick man's twisted game." With that she marched out of his office.

Dunn took deep breaths to calm herself down. There were no windows or doors, just walls. The wall, the floor, everything in the room was white. Everything except a black camera. Someone, some sick freak, was watching her. Her vision blurred and she couldn't tell where the floor ended and the walls began. She slid down into a sitting position with head in her hands.

After a few hours, she began to stare at the camera. She noticed that there was a light on a speaker next to it that would blink red every thirty seconds. Dunn hadn't noticed it before because the speaker was white and blended in with the rest of the room. The light began to blink green.

"Welcome agents Susie Dunn, Marcus Finley, Marina Harvart, Alison Drake, Kevin Wong, and Brad Winters. I am The Creator and I'm here to test you, to see if you are ready to protect this country. If you fail these three tests you will be eliminated. You are allowed one partner. Choose wisely."

The walls slowly rose up revealing the other agents. Harvart and Drake had already made their way towards each other. Finley stood beside Dunn and took her hand. Winters walked across the room and stood next to Wong.

"If you are going to protect the country from its worst fears you must be able to face your own worst fears. Put the earpieces in, grab a gun, and move when I tell you." The Creator's boomed through the speakers.

Tables rose out of the ground with earpieces and guns. Lights illuminated a hallway. The agents gave each other skeptical looks before picking up a gun and inserting an earpiece.

"Agents Harvart and Drake please proceed slowly down the hallway," said The Creator over the loudspeaker. The lights dimmed in the hallway. Images of guns being shot and angry people were projected on one side of the wall. The other side showed someone attacking a woman in an alleyway.

Dunn could only imagine what they were being forced to listen to in their earpieces.

Harvart and Drake gave each other reassuring looks then preceded forward. When they made it to the end of the corridor the lights brightened again, and Harvart fell into Drake's arms sobbing.

"Finley and Dunn please make your way down the hallway."

Dunn took small steps as the lights faded and video clips of news casts from the kidnapping played on both sides of the wall. Finley was afraid of the same thing as her, and that made her feel a bit more human. Her ears were flooded with shouts of kids asking why she took so long to find them. Angry screams from the parents followed. Dunn's legs began to shake. She was only halfway down the hall. She held her head high and gripped the gun tighter. Before she knew it she was at the end of the hallway and the lights were on again.

"Wong and Winters it's your turn."

The lights faded once again. Barely halfway through the walk Winters ripped out his earpiece.

"I am not a coward!" he screamed.

A bullet silenced him. No one saw exactly where it came from, but they knew it was from The Creator. Wong's eyes filled with fear as he took off down the hallway to avoid suffering the same fate as his partner.

"Winters was not strong enough to pass the first test. Test number two begins tomorrow. Good luck and goodnight."

Every light in the room went out and the agents were left in the dark.


	4. Chapter 4

One light bulb illuminated the area where the agents were expected to sleep. Wong sat on the floor facing the wall. Harvart and Drake lay on the floor staring at the ceiling. Finley sat on the ground watching Dunn pace.

She had grown distant again. She put up walls to protect herself, and she became just as closed off as she was at the beginning of the Ballard case. After a few hours she stopped pacing and took a seat on the floor next to Finley.

Drake said, "Since we are all here, maybe we should get to know each other."

"I'll go first I guess," Agent Harvart mumbled. "My name is Marina Harvart. I have a bit of an, uh, alcohol problem. It all started after I was," she was silent for a moment, "attacked. I was raped, but the son of a bitch who did it was one of the agents who worked with me. They didn't even prosecute him. So yeah I drink. I drink so that I don't remember seeing his face during the day. It certainly hurts enough to see it in my nightmares."

Wong spoke up next. "I'm Wong and I don't have much to say for myself other than I'm sorry about what happened to Winters. He was an ass and it's true that his father bought his way into the CIA, but he had a family. He had a wife and three kids and he sure as hell wasn't an ass to them."

"I'm Agent Finley and I dealt with the crisis that started this whole task force. The kids still blame us. The parents still blame us. The public still blames us. I still blame myself," Finley said.

"I," she cleared her throat, "am Agent Drake. They say I shot two innocent people. I shot two men that were holding guns to my partner's head. They were two men with rich, connected families. Money is a better eraser than rubber. I took the fall for saving my partner's life."

"My name is Agent Dunn and I worked the Ballard kidnapping with Finley. During that short amount of time I reunited with my sister and my daughter, who she had been raising. My daughter, Amber, asked me why we took so long. I never stop wondering why myself. Maybe that's why I don't sleep anymore. The doctors say it's PTSD, but I don't believe them. Just life," Dunn explained.

For the first time Finley noticed how much Dunn had really changed. He saw the bags under her eyes and the way she was constantly shaking. He noticed how she looked paler and thinner than the last time he saw her. He took her hand in his and slowly pulled her closer to him. Once her head was on his chest he wrapped his arms around her to keep her from shaking.

"Dunn, I know you want to be tough and you want to shut me out, but please don't. Please let me be here for you."

"I'm fine Finley. I swear." Her natural instinct was to slip out of his embrace, but she stayed put. She would let him hold her if it made him feel better.

Once Finley fell asleep, Dunn went back to pacing the perimeter of the room. Three laps into her pacing Agent Drake joined her. For a while they walked in silence, but eventually Agent Dunn spoke. "What do you think we did to deserve this?"

"I do not think that anyone deserves this, especially not you. Once is enough."

"We've all been through our own hells. Now we are being forced to share another. I know how these things end, and I know it is not pretty. My only hope is that Finley makes it out of here alive."

Drake said, "I understand. I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to Harvart. There's something special about the bond you share with your partner; it's almost like love."

"Yeah," Dunn breathed.

"Sometimes it is love," she added. "I'm going to go back to watching over Harvart. Good luck, Dunn."

Dunn continued to circle the small room where they were staying for the night. Thoughts of how she might never see her daughter again began to creep into her mind, causing tears to spill from her eyes. She quickly swatted them away with the back of her hand. Now was not the time to cry, but the tears continued to flow anyways. She made sure that all the other agents were asleep before letting the tears overcome her. Sobs racked her whole body; tears soaked her face. She had to lean up against the wall to support herself.

After the tears ended and the sniffling came to a stop, Dunn rejoined Finley on the floor. She tried to slip in next to him without waking him but she was unsuccessful. She turned away from him to keep him from seeing that she had been crying.

"Dunn? What is the matter?"

"It's nothing Finley. Honestly," she responded.

"You can trust me Dunn. Remember?" You do not need to feel bad about trusting me. We are in this together."

"Finley, please listen to me. I do trust you, and I need you to trust me when I say that it is nothing. I just need some rest. That is all."

He let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay." Finley used his thumb to brush a tear from Dunn's cheek. The action alone caused her to smile; he smiled in return. "We are still partners, Dunn."

"Partners."

Meg Fitch hadn't stopped watching the second crisis since it began broadcasting on television. She saw watched as her sister broke down for the whole world to see. She saw her sister lay in a man's arms. More importantly she saw her sister cry when she believed no one was watching.

She was done with sitting at home and watching her sister suffer. She was going to do what the FBI agents weren't doing. Meg Fitch was going to Montana to track down her sister and the other missing agents.


	5. Chapter 5

The walls rise to show three tunnels, enough for each partnership. The light signaling that a voice will soon be heard over the loudspeaker begins to blink, slowly at first then in rapid pulses.

"Today's task is an obstacle course that will decide whether you are physically capable of protecting your country. If you have passed the task, a light at the end of your tunnel will flash green. If the light doesn't flash green, well you will find out what happens. Wong take tunnel one. Finley and Dunn take tunnel two. Harvart and Drake take tunnel three." The Creator orders them around like animals. "Oh and good luck agents."

The agents take off down their separate hallways. Finley and Dunn make their way through the darkness until they reach a room containing nothing more than a few boxes and a button with a piece of paper taped up next to it instructing them to press the button for instructions. Dunn pressed down on the button and a speaker crackled to life.

"The room may seem empty but if you look now you'll see my excellent selection of weapons." As soon as he said it the walls opened up to reveal a variety of automated weapons. "Make it through the room alive and you can move on."

For a moment they watched as the guns fired one after another in thirty second increments. "If we time it right we can make it through. After each gun has been fired there is a forty-five second pause. We have that much time to run to those crates where we can lay low until the next opportunity to run."

"Alright bu-" before Dunn could finish Finley grabbed her hand and dragged her along. When they made it to the boxes however, they did not stop as they had planned. They made it out of the room with only a second to spare.

"You could've gotten us killed!" Dunn screamed.

"Yes but I didn't. Just trust me Dunn."

"You said that last time."

They continue on through the tunnel until they come to an entryway that's been boarded up. In one swift move Dunn kicks through the plywood. Finley then pulls the splintered wood out of the way.

In the room there are targets set up the way they would be at a shooting range and a note on the wall telling Finley and Dunn to shoot them in less than one minute or they will explode. Dunn steps forward and the timer starts. The agents pull the guns given to them before the last task out of their holsters and fire. _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ Each hit was perfect.

There were several more rooms after that. One room required that they disarm a bomb and another tested how fast they could run. There was even a room where they had to navigate their way out of a burning structure.

Both Dunn and Finley were exhausted by the time they reached the final room. As soon as they set foot inside, the floor dropped out from under them revealing a pool with an artificial current. The clothes Dunn has worn for who knows how long became weighted. Her waterlogged coat pulls her down, and for a moment she lets herself sink. The longer she stays under the quieter the voices in her head are. She stays under for what feels like a long time, but must not have been since Finley surfaces right after she does. They are both desperately gasping for air as they tread water.

"Take of your clothes. It will be easier to swim," Finley suggests.

They start by kicking off their shoes then they strip down until they are in nothing but their underwear. The current feels less strong, and after a while they are able to make it to a concrete area where they heave themselves over the edge. They lay flat on their backs hand in hand waiting for a sign that they have succeeded. After a few minutes of waiting the lights flash green. They made it.

"Congratulations agents. You managed to survive another task. Clothes and food will be waiting for you in a room to your right." Dunn has never been happier to hear the static of the loudspeaker. There is only one task left to go.

Later that evening as they are eating dinner, some poorly made sandwiches and bottled water, with the other agents Finley notices that Dunn is shaking.

"You okay?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine. I'm just cold I guess." Dunn shrugs her shoulders and avoids his gaze.

"When this is all over will you promise me something, Dunn?"

"What?"

"Promise me that you will be okay." He smiles at her and she smiles in response. There's nothing wrong with finding a light in the darkness, especially if that darkness has the power to end your life at any moment.

"I promise," she whispers in response.


	6. Chapter 6

Today was the deciding day, the last challenge. Dunn woke up earlier than the others, per usual. She found that this time was great for getting lost in her own thoughts. She had no idea what day it was or what time it was. Was anybody looking for her? There had been other agents in the motel and in motels nearby. Dunn shuddered as she thought of what could have happened to them.

A hitch in Finley's breathing brought her back. Finley. She laced her fingers with his. If she couldn't be strong for herself, she would be strong for him. But what about when, or if, they got out? Would they go their separate ways again? Would they still need each other, or was this arrangement just until they made it home? Either way Dunn promised herself that she would put his life before her own.

~~~

_Why?_ That was the million dollar question. Why had some of the agents been shot on sight and others ignored? Why had the select six been taken? Why had the other motels housing agents been left untouched? With each question the sick feeling in Meg Fitch's stomach grew. The state of the art security system that had been set up in the motel had been so effortlessly disarmed. It didn't add up. Meg along with the FBI had interviewed everyone from that motel but no one knew for sure why they had been sent there in the first place. Who would attack Montana anyways?

Upon entering the motel, she immediately recognized the stench of death. The bodies had been removed but the smell still hung in the air and bloodstains still covered the walls. Meg cautiously made her way towards the room where her sister had stayed. Inside of the room there was no sign of a struggle. There were two bags on the floor, a few papers on the dresser, and a bottle of water on the nightstand. Both the bed and coach appeared to be slept in. Other than that there were no signs of life.

The rooms used by the other agents that had been taken looked similar. Rooms occupied by the victims and survivors, on the other hand, were torn apart. They must have been drugged. There was no other way they could've slept through all of the commotion. This in turn raised another question. If the six, only those six, had been drugged then they must have been chosen. Why?

Meg stepped out into the hallway. She couldn't look at the rooms for more than a few minutes without feeling overcome with sorrow. She should've stopped her sister, or at the very least tried to stop her, from going to Montana.

"Ms. Fitch?" One of her assistants called for her.

She wiped her eyes, pushed a few stray hairs back into place, and corrected her posture. "What do you need?" She must keep her composure.

"It's starting again. It's time for their next task." He led her to a television that had been set up in the lobby. Everyone that had been sent out to Montana to investigate would crowd around the television set like animals at feeding time when the next task aired. They did not care about watching her sister walk circles around the room when she could not sleep. They did not care to watch when one of the other female agents cried at night. They did not bother keeping their eyes on the screen long enough to see the fear in the eyes of those who were said to be the nation's best. If Meg Fitch learned anything from this it was that the terrible man, the one who held innocent people captive so he could play his game, he was not much worse than the rest of humanity. He was an animal all the same.

~~~

"There are three rooms, one for each pair. In front of each is a box where you must deposit your weapon. Today you will make a choice, and if you choose correctly you will be set free. Good luck agents." Today his voice sounds remorseful. The arrogant tone and teasing words are gone. Today something is different, and everyone can tell. The sound of five guns hitting the bottom of three different metal boxes fills up the room. The agents exchange sorrowful glances before entering their rooms. In a way it was like goodbye.

This room is stark white just like all the others, but the lights are brighter. It makes Dunn feel dizzy, but she doesn't say a word. It could all be over in a matter of minutes.

The speaker in the corner of the room sputters to life, filling the small space with The Creator's voice. "Ask yourself agents Finley and Dunn, would you give up everything for your country? In the back of the room there is a box. Agent Finley, open the box and take out the gun."

Finley does as he is asked.

"Now shoot your partner. Kill her."

"I can't do this. I can't kill Dunn."

"Finley, listen to me. You have to do what is asked of you if you want to make it out. Please," Dunn begs.

"There is no way in hell I will shoot you. You have people who need you."

"I have a sister who knows I love her, a daughter who I know can be strong without me, and a partner who I need to pull that trigger. That's what I have Finley. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"No Dunn, I have you. I have you and I won't have that if I do what you're asking me to do." Tears spill over the edges of both of their eyes. They stare at each other for a moment before Dunn steps forward.

She kisses him softly on the cheek, wipes a tear from his eye, and whispers something in his ear. Then she backs away and waits. She braces for impact but it never comes.

Finley is staring at the gun with a confused expression on his face. It was jammed so that it could not fire.

"Congratulations agents. You were both willing to give everything up; you win. Please exit out of separate doors."

Two doors pop open. Dunn takes the left one and Finley takes the right. They do not say a word.


End file.
